• Posted: May 9, 2021
• better careers, electrical apprenticeship program, Video

Bea Thompson has never been uncomfortable being one of the only women in the room, in fact, she often is. She’s a mother to two grown stepsons and was the only woman working at the Cook County Correctional Facility where she spent more than 20 years before becoming a business representative for the IBEW Local 134. If anything, being a Black woman in a male-dominated field has propelled her further into her career as she now paves the way for other women in the trades. 

“When I answered the call to become a business representative, I thought about the idea that no other Black woman had done it before for Local 134. I believe that I needed to move forward with becoming one because so many women had paved the way for me.”

If it weren’t for other female leaders in the industry who came before her, Bea may have chosen a different path. Before joining the industry, she attended a Chicago Women in the Trades seminar and was inspired by what the electrician had to say. It was because of that talk that she applied for, and was accepted into, the electrical apprenticeship program. 

Flash forward to today, her more than 30 years in the industry have allowed her to work on exciting projects like the Harold Washington Library — the namesake of Chicago’s first Black mayor. Bea was on that project for a year and a half where she focused on lighting in the bathrooms and main areas, piping wiring, and hanging lights. 

Her ability to learn and grow within the electrical industry hasn’t stopped. In her current role as a business representative, she’s focused on community outreach and is on the Renewable Energy Fund team where she educates the public about renewable energy and inspires the younger generation toward electrical careers.

Like her 80-year-old mother, a strong woman with a positive attitude who doesn’t back down from a challenge, Bea doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. Like those who came before her, she continues to inspire the next generation to achieve their goals. 

“I think that it’s important for the future generations to see that nothing is impossible. If you dream it, you can do it. You can be it. It may sound cliche, but it’s true.”